And They Were So Young
by Checkmate 24601
Summary: "Kuukaku-san, may I ask you a question?" In which a question is asked, and a mystery is solved...and a memory is found.


**And They Were So Young**

It was almost time for the celebratory dinner. Well after all the battle confusion and scrambling about in the aftermath of Aizen's betrayal, _she _definitely thought a dinner was in order _as she told (invited, forced, threatened…have your pick) Ichigo_.

A light footfall. _Soft. Hesitant. _

"Kuukaku-san?"

The fiercely independent matriarchal head of the Shiba clan turned around, an eyebrow arched in interest.

_Ah. _That _girl. _

_Large, pearl luminescent eyes _– so different from Miyako's more ordinary hazel ones –_ brimming with star-number questions, restrained only by polite consideration and good upbringing._

"Yo kiddo, what's up?"

if Kuukaku did not so vehemently deny such a self description, _a well-hidden stinging warmth behind the eyes, a weary sigh lodging in her throat _she might have called herself sentimental for comparing Inoue Orihime to Kaien's late wife, her sister-in-law Shiba Miyako.

Of course, there were many differences. _Orihime's features were much softer, still rounded with a touch of adolescent fat, _definitely more innocent_. _She hasn't seen the terrors of war, fighting and backbiting _and with some luck (though Lady Luck was definitely a fickle player bcause she _certainly _didn't save Miyako or Kaien from hollowfication) she will never experience them._

Motioning for the girl to sit across from her on a cushion, Kuukaku gazed at the human girl behind the sudden haze of her pipe.

"Kuukaku-san,may I ask you a … _personal _question?"

Wary but still intrigued, the maker of _Shiba Firecrackers _leaned back casually and gave a slight tip of the head.

Orihime paused, wetting her lips.

_Ichigo has to be blind not to see how pre- _

"I understand from Kuchiki-san's apology that Kaien-san was your brother," Orihime began. Her stormy grey eyes observed her listener, trying to gauge for any sign of anger or disapproval which would put an end to her question.

Kuukaku gave a non-committal grunt.

_That apology from Kuchiki Rukia was long in coming, though the grudge against the young shinigami for killing Kaien had long since been tempered – _the memory of a wound rather than the wound itself, which drew up momentary bitterness.

"Did Kuukaku-san and Ganju-san have … another sibling? A … sister, perhaps?"

Kuukaku's gaze sharpened.

_That is the one thing Yoruichi mentioned about the girl. It's easy to dismiss her at surface glance, but this pretty filly is no Man's fool. _

She's got a decent head on her shoulders _and an astute pair of eyes._

_Gifted eyes._

There's no arguin' that Ichigo has raw strength and power, but this young one sitting before her – well, only an imbecile would gloss over her and her strength.

Her Name is telling, for the first stop. _How many girls are named after the Weaving Princess?_

_Considering Orihime's lineage, which can be traced back to – _

"Kuukaku-san?"

_Oh that's right. She was supposed to be giving an answer._

"What of it?" the older woman challenged, eagerly waiting for the younger female's response.

_How would she react? Shyness? A touch of anger?_

Kuukaku's answer was a photo, held before her to take.

Carefully imitating Orihime's careful grip on the edges of the photography, Kuukaku glanced down and could not restrain a sharp inhale.

On the strange, shiny surface is an image of two young girls, one of which is Orihime. The other girl, a tomboy, in a white karate uniform and holding up a trophy and pumping up her other fist in a victory pose (Orihime was hugging the dark-haired girl around the waist) gave a triumphant smirk at the camera.

"That picture was taken at Tatsuki-chan's first major karate tournament. She trained so hard…and in the end, she won.

I'm really grateful to her. She's my best friend… She entered my life after Onii-chan died."

Uncertain of what more to say, Orihime played with the tendrils of her sunshine hair.

"Tatsuki-chan is the second-strongest girl in Japan," she added in a final exhalation.

Kuukaku smiled a proud smirk.

"Tell her to be _the _strongest. … The woman in the Shiba clan are second to no one."

Kuukaku handed the photo back, but Orihime waved her hands.

"Please keep it, Kuukaku-san. Me and Tatsuki-chan have many more other photos. After all, we spend so much time together.

_So her baby sister has been reincarnated, eh? Life is just full of surprises. _

"Has she got any spiritual awareness?" Kuukaku asked, puffing out two smoke rings from the pipe.

"Tatsuki-chan can see ghosts. She saw Kurosaki-kun when he was a shinigami at the Don Kanonji show. … But whether she has powers of some sort, I don't think…"

Humming a cheerful _hah_, Kuukaku pocketed the small rectangular photo.

"Look after her for me, will ya?"

"Oh, of course, I will although Tatsuki protects _me _more often. She's like a bodyguard dragon!"

Stretching a hand across the divide, Kuukaku ruffled Orihime's hair.

"You're a good kid…Hime-chan."

Kuukaku would remember, much, much later in the future _after Aizen was defeated_, the _ryoka _girl's happy blush and smiling eyes.

So when Central 46 issued a warrant for Orihime's arrest _post-Hueco Mundo _and subsequent execution, she used the Shiba clan's power to veto such a challenge.

_Her clan may be fading, but even dying dynasties still wield a surprising amount of influence _especially among the traditional dinosaurs in Soul Society. _Respectability of blood is not easily extinguished by the passage of time _regardless of the state of their ancestral homes and buildings.

That veto would also be the only occasion _the second time since the longstanding rivalry between their two families _that the Shiba clan and the Kuchiki clan would stand together, fighting the Central 46.

_Well, if Inoue Orihime could crack a smile on Shiba Kuukaku's hardened, cynical face, there's no reason why she cannot achieve the same with Kuchiki Byakuya. _

**A/N **Hoi hoi minna-san! This is just my speculation on how to explain Tatsuki's spiritual awareness, and her shaggy black hair bears some resemblance to Kuukaku's. Orihime's dragon protector needs more love :3

So how plausible do you think this might be? Tell me, tell me, tell me! _(…with marzipan, gummy bears and cherry blossoms on top? *_Insert the puppy eyes*)

Naturally I do not own Bleach.

Oh gosh, with the latest chapters from the manga about Unohana 'Retsu', no one can say that Orihime is a weakling. _It's the quiet ones we always have to look out for!_ Borrowing a phrase from Hardly Fatal's fiction 'Become a Ghost', _"still waters run deep". _

… I'm not just trying to sound philosophical here. If Kubo could just devote a bit more development time to Orihime, I'm sure our favourite Fairy Gal might be able to whip anyone daring to challenge her and hand their backside on a silver platter.

Of course, if Orihime has the same killing intent as Unohana…_that would just be scary… _XD


End file.
